Waler clamping assembly for concrete wall forms



March 31, 1959 J. E. lMONETTl WALER CLAMPING ASSEMBLY FOR CONCRETE WALL FORMS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 20, 1957 INVENTOR JOHN E. IMoNETTt March 31, 1.959 J. E. IMONETTl WALER CLAMPING ASSEMBLY FOR CONCRETE WALL FORMS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 20, 1957 INVENTOR Jon-m .IMoNETTl :1 M

ATTY.

March 31, 1959 J. E. IMONETTI WALE'R JLAMPING ASSEMBLY FOR CONCRETE WALL FORMS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 20, 1957 ATTY.

INVENTOR JOHN E. IMoNETTI EMW commonly employed in this type of concrete Un d w P m WALER CLAMPING ASSEMBLY FOR CONCRETE WALL FORMS John E. Imonetti,

"'Symous Clamp & tion of Delaware Application June 20,1957, Serial No. 666,813 3 Claims. (Cl. 25-13 1 Prospect Heights, 111., assignor to Mfg. Co., Chicago, I lL, a corpora- The present invention relates ,to concrete wall forms of' the panel type wherein the opposed form walls are walls, and the two walls are connected by combined tie rod and spreader devices to prevent the walls from bulging under the thrust of the wet concrete. The panels form consist of a facing of plywood against which the wet concrete lies, and a stiffening and strengthening frame is applied to the outer side of the facing, such frame-including marginal horizontal and vertical members and intermediate cross bars which may extend either vertically or horizontally and are connected at their ends to either the horizontal or the vertical marginal frame members. -Where walls, assembled from such edgewise arranged panels, are of considerable length, it is customary to further stiffen and maintain the panels in longitudinal alignment by means of relatively heavy stringers orwalers ,Which extend horizontally across the outer sides of the panels and bear against the vertical marginal members and which have associated therewith means for wedging the walers hard against these marginal members so that the latter are brought into accurate alignment with one another. The present invention specifically is concerned with an improved means for securing the walers to the vertical marginal members of a panel assembly in a concrete form of the character outlined above.

Heretofore the hardware employed for securing walers in position against the vertical reinforcing members of a panel construction has been predicated upon the use of double waler assemblies and the union between the walers and upright reinforcing members has been at regions where the two waler lengths are superimposed upon each other and Where these walers traverse adjacent abutting reinforcing members. In instances .where 'a single waler length traverses a pair of abutting upright reinforcing members, such fasteningmeans is not adaptable for use in efiecting a union of the .waler to the members and ,it has been necessary to provide a short waler block of the same thickness as the waler and to impose this block 'in position on the waler so that a union may be made utilizing the same fastening means that is employed where two waler lengths are concerned.

The present invention is designed to overcome the above noted limitations that are attendant upon the use of conventional waler fastening devices and, toward this end it contemplates as one of the principal objects thereof the provision of a waler clamp assembly which, without any modification whatsoever, is capable of effectively supporting either a single waler length or dual superimposed waler lengths in position on the form wall against the reinforcing members thereof without the use of fillin waler blocks or the like, thus in many installations making it possible to use singlewaler lengths throughout {which overlap only in the regionsof joints andwluch,

in these regions, maintain continuous alignment of the Wailers as' effectively as when plural walers are employed coextensively.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a waler clamp assembly which enables the use of single walers throughout the installation while giving adequate support both in the medial regions of the walers as Well as in the region of the overlapping joints.

It is a further object of the invention to provide ,a waler clamp assembly of this character which has as its principal component a one-piece waler bracket of novel design which is capable of being manufactured at a low cost by a simple stamping operation and which has as its only other components a conventional connecting bolt, tie rod and wedge member.

Another object of the invention is to provide a waler clamp proper or waler bracket of this character which,

because of its one-piece construction, is capable of being easily assembled in .any given installation and is likewise capable of readily being knocked down after the concrete form with which it is associated has served its purpose.

The provision of a waler clamp which is extremely simple in its construction; one which, including the clamp proper and the fastening means whereby it is applied in a given installation, is comprised of a minimum number of parts; one which is rugged and durable and which therefore is unlikely to get out of order; one which requires no preassembly of walers prior to their application to the concrete form; one which by its application to the walers and the reinforcing members of the concrete form with which it is associated will not mar or otherwise damage the members to which it is applied; one which may repeatedly be used in successive installations, and one which otherwise is well adapted to perform the services required of it are further desirable features which have been borne in mind in the production and development of the present invention.

Other objects and advantages of the invention, not at this time enumerated, will become more readily apparent as the nature of the invention is better understood.

In the accompanying three sheets of drawings forming a part of this specification, a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown.

In these drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a waler clamp constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention and showing the same operatively applied to the medial regions of a waler member and serving to force the waler hard against the outer sides of a pair of adjacent panel members of a concrete form construction.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken substantially along the horizontal plane indicated by the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a front elevational view of the structure shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the waler clamp proper.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view similar to Fig. 1 showing the clamp operatively applied to a pair of walers in the overlapping region thereof, and

Fig. 7 is a front elevational view of the structure shown in Fig. 6.

Referring now to the drawings in detail and in particular to Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, a fragmentary portion of a composite form wall of conventional construction has been illustrated herein and designated in its entirety at 10. The wall 10 is made up of a series of rectangular panels, only two of which have been fragmentarily shown herein at 12 and 14 with the panels being arranged in edge-to-edge relationship. Each panel is in the form of a generally rectangular plywood facing 16 having a marginal rectangular reinforcing frame applied to the outer face of the panel and consisting of vertical and horizontal frame bars, only the vertical frame bars 18 being illustrated herein, two such bars being shown as existing in contiguity at the region where the adjacent panels 12 and 14 meet each other in edge-to-edge relationship. It will be understood, of course, that the wall is arranged in spaced opposition to a similar wall (not shown) and is maintained in its spaced relationship therefrom by means of conventional tie rod and spreader devices (likewise not shown) suitably connected to the two walls. Concrete wall forms of the type illustrated herein may vary widely in their details of construction. Only such portions of the wall form 10 which are operatively associated with or bear a relation to the present waler clamp have been illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

The adjacent panels 12 and 14 are connected together in their edge-to-edge relationship by means of connecting bolt assemblies including connecting bolts proper 20 which pass through aligned registering slots 22 formed in the contiguous vertical reinforcing members or frame bars 18. Each connecting bolt 20 includes an enlarged head 24 and a shank portion 26, the latter being formed with a slot 28 adjacent the free end thereof and through which slot there is adapted to be driven a wedge 30 for clamping purposes. A slotted metal plate 32 is interposed between the head 24 and the adjacent frame bar 18 while a similar metal plate 34 is interposed between the wedge 30 and its adjacent frame bar in the usual manner of construction of such connecting bolt assemblies.

The arrangement of parts thus far described is purely conventional and no claim is made herein to any novelty associated with the same, the novelty of the present invention residing rather in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts of the improved waler clamping mechanism which will now be fully described and subsequently claimed.

As best seen in Figs. 1 and 6, in order to maintain the longitudinal alignment of the panels throughout the full length of the Wall 10, a series of longitudinally extending stringers or walers, two of which have been shown at 40 and 42 respectively, extend longitudinally along the form wall on the outside thereof at desired levels in the structure and are adapted to be secured to the outer vertical faces of the frame bars 18 at the regions where these frame bars are traversed by the walers 40 or 42 as the case may be. Where relatively short wall forms are concerned, a single waler may suffice to bridge all of the edge-to-edge panels in the series while for longer installations, the walers may be arranged in substantial longitudinal alignment but with their end regions overlapping as shown in Figs. 6 and 7. In certain instances dual waler members may be employed and are arranged in coextensive superimposed relationship throughout the entire longitudinal extent of the form wall 10. In all of the three types of waler installations outlined above, the waler clamp of the present invention may, Without modification, be employed for fastening the adjacent portions of the waler or walers involved to the vertical frame bars 18.

Still referring to Figs. 1 and 6, the walers 40 and 42 are preferably in the form of wooden planks of the 2" x 4" variety and each waler is long enough to span several panels. The walers are forced hard against the vertically extending frame bars 18 at the regions where they traverse such bars by means of clamping assemblies including one-piece waler bracket 44 of novel design, together with three units of conventional concrete form hardware as will be described presently. The waler braket 44 individually, as well as its use in combination with the above mentioned hardware, constitutes the novelty of the present invention.

Each waler bracket 44 is in the form of a one-piece metal stamping which, when in its operative clamping position in the concrete form assembly includes a vertical leg 46 and a horizontal leg 48. A laterally extending horizontal flange 50 is provided along the upper edge of the vertical leg 46 and a downwardly extending short flange 52 is provided along the distal edge of the horizontal leg 48. The vertical leg 46 is formed with a circular hole 54 in the medial regions thereof while the horizontal flange 50 is formed with a slot 56 therein, the slot extending transversely of the fiange or longitudinally of the bracket as a whole. As best seen in Fig. 3, the vertical extent of the leg 46 is somewhat less than twice the vertical thickness of one of the walers 40 or 42, which is to say that in the case of walers of the 2 x 4 variety, the height of the leg 46 may be on the order of three and three-quarters inches and, in any event should not appreciably exceed four inches. The horizontal extent of the leg 48 is approximately equal to the horizontal thickness of one of the walers 40 or 42.

In Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive one of the waler brackets 44 is shown as being applied to the medial regions of the waler 40 for clamping the latter against the adjacent vertical frame bars 18. When put to this use, the vertical flange 52 constitutes a foot portion which is positioned against the outer faces of the bars 18 while the inside face of the vertical leg 46 bears against the outer face of the waler 40 with the waler overlying and being spaced from the horizontal leg 48 as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The waler 40 is drawn hard against the upright frame bars 18 by means of a conventional waler tie rod 58 having loops 60 at its ends, the tie rod extending through the space provided by virtue of a pair of registering transversely extending grooves 62 formed in the opposed sides of the frame bars 18 and having one of the loops 60 encircling the shank portion 26 of the connecting bolt 20. The tie rod also passes through the hole 54 in the vertical leg 46 of the waler bracket 44 and has its other loop 60 encircling a wedge 64 which passes through the slot 56 in the flange 50 and is driven downwardly into the loop in such a manner that the tie rod is drawn taut and the vertical leg 46 of the waler bracket 44 is forced inwardly against the waler 40 and the latter is firmly clamped between the bracket and the outer faces of the two vertical frame bars 18, with the tie rod 58 underlying the waler 40. The horizontal leg 48 is thus placed under compression and the downwardly extending fiange or foot 52 bears against the outer faces of the frame bars 18 and prevents the bracket from digging into the wooden material of these bars.

Referring now to Figs. 6 and 7 wherein one of the waler brackets is shown as being applied to the walers 40 and 42 in the overlapping regions thereof, the extent of overlapping of the walers may vary considerably, a four foot overlap being considered normal for the average installation. The position of the bracket 44 relative to the waler 40 remains substantially the same as that previously described in connection with Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive while at the same time the end of the waler 42 is received through the space existing between the tie rod 58 and the horizontal leg 48 of the waler bracket 44 so that upon driving of the wedge 64 into the loop 60 in the outer end of the tie rod 58, both walers are pressed hard or clamped against the outer faces of the vertical frame bars 18.

From the above description it is thought that the many advantages of the herein-described waler clamp assembly will readily become apparent. It is to be noted that the waler bracket 44 is so designed that it will effectively serve its purpose for maintaining a single waler plank in operative position against the outside of a concrete form wall or for maintaining double walers against such a wall. Likewise it will accommodate the medial regions of a single waler or the end regions of two walers at the region where the same overlap.

The invention is not to be limited to the exact arrangement of parts shown in the accompanying drawings or described in this specification as various changes in the details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention. Only insofar as the invention has particularly been pointed out in the accompanying claims is the same to be limited.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination with a concrete form structure having upright wall panels arranged in edge-to-edge relationship, each panel including upright frame bars extending along the vertical edges of the panels whereby at the juncture between adjacent panels two of the frame bars extend vertically in contiguity, and a connecting bolt extending completely through said two frame bars and serving to anchor the same together, said frame bars being formed with transversely extending grooves in the meeting faces thereof in register with each other and defining therebetween an outwardly extending bore, and a horizontally disposed waler plank traversing said juncture between adjacent panels, of a clamping assembly for clamping the medial region of said waler plank hard against the contiguous frame bars at said juncture, said assembly comprising a waler bracket formed of sheet metal and including a horizontal leg of an extent substantially equal to the transverse width of the waler plank, and a vertical leg of an extent greater than the individual vertical width of the waler plank, said horizontal leg underlying the underneath face of the waler plank and having its distal edge bearing against said contiguous frame bars and straddling the juncture therebetween, said vertical leg extending upwardly and traversing at least a portion of the outer face of the waler plank, a tie rod provided with a loop at each end thereof, said tie rod passing through said outwardly extending bore and having one loop thereof encircling said connecting bolt, there being an opening in said vertical leg through which the tie rod extends with the other loop projecting through the opening, and a wedge extending into the last mentioned loop for drawing said tie rod taut and causing said waler plank to be firmly clamped between said vertical leg and the outer faces of said frame bars, said opening in the vertical leg of the waler bracket being disposed above the level of the horizontal leg a distance substantially equal to the vertical width of the waler plank, said tie rod being arranged and positioned so that it directly underlies the waler plank and is in supporting relationship thereto.

2. The combination with a concrete form structure having upright wall panels arranged in edge-to-edge relationship, each panel including upright frame bars extending along the vertical edges of the panels whereby at the juncture between adjacent panels two of the frame bars extend vertically in contiguity, and a connecting bolt extending completely through said two frame bars and serving to anchor the same together, said frame bars being formed with transversely extending grooves in the meeting faces thereof in register with each other and defining therebetween an outwardly extending bore, and a pair of contiguous waler planks having at least portions thereof in superimposed relationship with said superimposed portions traversing said juncture between adjacent panels, of a clamping assembly for clamping said superimposed portions of the waler planks hard against the contiguous frame bars at said juncture, said assembly comprising a waler bracket formed of sheet metal and including a horizontal leg of an extent substantially equal to the transverse width of a waler plank, and a vertical leg of an extent approximately equal to the combined vertical width of the two waler planks, said horizontal leg underlying and supporting the lowermost waler plank and having its distal edge bearing against said contiguous frame bars and straddling the juncture therebetween, said vertical leg extending upwardly and traversing the outer face of said lowermost waler plank and at least a portion of the outer face of the other waler plank, a tie rod provided with a loop at each end thereof, said tie rod passing through said outwardly extending bore and having one loop thereof encircling said connecting bolt, there being an opening in said vertical leg through which said tie rod extends with the other loop projecting through the opening, and a wedge extending into the last mentioned loop for drawing said tie rod taut and causing said waler planks to be firmly clamped between said vertical leg and the outer faces of said frame bars, said tie rod overlying said lowermost waler plank and underlying the other waler plank whereby the rod passes between said planks with the horizontal leg of the bracket supporting said lowermost waler plank and the tie rod supporting said other waler plank.

3. The combination with a concrete form structure having upright wall panels arranged in edge-to-edge relationship, each panel including upright frame bars extending along vertical edges of the panels whereby at the juncture between adjacent panels two of the frame bars extend vertically in contiguity, and a connecting bolt extending completely through said two frame bars and serving to anchor the same together, said frame bars being formed with transversely extending grooves in the meeting faces thereof in register with each other and defining therebetween an outwardly extending bore, and a horizontally disposed waler plank traversing said juncture between adjacent panels, of a clamping assembly for clamping the medial region of said waler plank hard against the contiguous frame bars at said juncture, said assembly comprising a waler bracket formed of sheet metal and including a horizontal leg of an extent substantially equal to the transverse width of the waler plank, and a vertical leg of an extent greater than the individual vertical width of the waler plank, said horizontal leg directly underlying and supporting the underneath face of the waler plank and having its distal edge bearing against said contiguous frame bars and straddling the juncture therebetween, said vertical leg extending upwardly and traversing at least a portion of the outer face of the waler plank, a tie rod provided with a loop at each end thereof, said tie rod passing through said outwardly extending bore and having one loop thereof encircling said connecting bolt, there being an opening in said vertical leg through which the tie rod extends with the other loop projecting through the opening, and a wedge extending into the last mentioned loop for drawing said tie rod taut and causing said waler plank to be firmly clamped between said vertical leg and the outer faces of said frame bars, said opening in the vertical leg of the waler bracket being disposed above the level of the horizontal leg a distance substantially equal to the vertical width of the waler plank, said tie rod being arranged so that it overlies and rests on the waler plank while the latter is supported on said horizontal leg of the waler bracket.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,217,278 Kanter Oct. 8, 1940 2,236,616 Bosco Apr. 1, 1941 2,340,439 Stroben Feb. 1, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS 470,552 France June 18, 1914 OTHER REFERENCES Symons: System of Wall Form Construction, pages 4 and 30, catalog No. F-S, Symons Clamp and Manufacturning Company, 4249 Diversey Ave., Chicago 39, Illinois. 

